To write about the myriad outdoor, culinary, historic and cultural attractions Arkansas has to offer, you need some of the best travel bloggers around. Each member on our team of Arkansas bloggers and travel writers covers a different region of the
...

To write about the myriad outdoor, culinary, historic and cultural attractions Arkansas has to offer, you need some of the best travel bloggers around. Each member on our team of Arkansas bloggers and travel writers covers a different region of the state and relates unique stories and experiences not to be missed. Keep up with the state’s best travel bloggers to get insider tips and ideas for vacations in Arkansas.

The prestigious Western Amateur Championship (July 29- August 4) will be played in the state at the Alotian Club in Roland. It will be the first time the tournament has been held in Arkansas, and the first time since 1966 it has been played in the South. It also is the first time the Alotian Club, designed by famous golf course architect Tom Fazio, has hosted a major competition.

View of Alotian Fairway.

Chang-Tsung Pan of Taiwan, the top amateur golfer in the world, will be at the tournament.

The tournament has a rich history and is regarded as one of the major amateur golf events in the world. Only the British Amateur (1885) and the U.S. Amateur (1895) are older.

Over 150 golfers from across the globe will head here for the tournament. And they will be heavy hitters. Seven of the top 10 ranked amateur golfers in the world will be at the tournament as well as 55 of the world’s top 100 amateurs. It will also be a chance to see the future stars of the sport in action. Founded in the Chicago area in 1899, past champions of this tournament include famous names such as Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Since it opened in 2004, the Alotian, founded by Little Rock businessman Warren Stephens and ranked No. 14 on Golf Digest’s ranking of “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses”, has been a private facility. The club, whose course overlooks Lake Maumelle and spans over 300 acres, has hosted a handful of special events, but attendance for those to the public have been by invitation only. For this tournament that is not the case as for the first time the club will be open to the general public. Ground badges have been made available for the public to buy to see this world famous tournament.

For more details, call 501-379-2568 or check out the tournament website at: www.thewesternamateur.com. The Alotian Club is located at 101 Alotian Drive.